How many times have you pulled into a campsite and gotten set-up before you discovered that the picnic table was not as sanitary as you would have liked? It’s unfortunate, but many campers just don’t respect the campsite’s physical property.
The electrical, water, and sewer connections often bear the brunt of the abuse, but picnic tables are frequently misused and that poses a special hazard because we’re not going to eat dinner off the electrical connection or serve our kid’s lunch on a sewer hook-up.
Where else has this fly been? Now it’s on my picnic table. Photo by Peggy Dent
Wooden surfaces are just not sanitary
If you’ve ever been involved in a health inspection for a commercial kitchen, you know that porous wooden surfaces and food just don’t go together.
Wooden cutting boards, butcher blocks, and wooden spoons are forbidden in commercial kitchens (places where there’s a diligent effort to keep things clean). So how much more unsanitary is the porous wooden surface of a picnic table when campers treat it like it’s everything but a place to eat?
A picnic table is not…
Let’s re-examine what a picnic table is not. It’s not a grooming table for our pet’s care. It’s not a DIY handyman’s workbench for a greasy project. It’s not a substitute blackboard for our kid’s outdoor chalk art. A picnic table is not a place for the kids to play king on the mountain or a place to clean and fillet a salmon. It’s not a place to chop kindling. It’s not a clothes rod, or a bike rack, or a place to change a diaper, and this next example is so bad, I still can’t believe I saw this with my own eyes.
In fact, this last misuse of a picnic table is so horrific, it made me rethink every time I’ve ever used a picnic table while camping. I remember as a kid, setting my flimsy paper plate on the picnic table, overloaded with mom’s potato salad and piled high with potato chips but when I put my newly roasted hot dog on the crowded plate, the top chips tumble off onto the tabletop. But no worries, I snatched ‘em up, way before the 3 second rule, and stuffed them into my mouth, without another thought of sanitation or safety.
In the past 23 years, while camping in all kinds of parks and campgrounds I’ve seen all of these misuses of a picnic table. But this last example, just about made my head explode.
A couple weeks ago, in a nice campground in Palm Desert, I saw a man put a dripping sewer hose on the picnic table while he was breaking down his campsite, and it was this unthinkable affront to basic sanitation and hygiene that prompted the writing of this article.
A picnic table is…
We’ve pondered what a picnic table is not, now let examine what it is. It’s an expensive asset that belongs to the campground, and it’s a courtesy for the park owners and management to provide one in every campsite. They are a useful addition, and some can be quite elaborate.
I’ve seen picnic tables in provincial parks in Canada that are beautifully crafted, permanent fixtures in each site. Their bases and benches are made of concrete with exposed aggregate surfaces, and the tabletops are 4-inch-thick stained planks.
Each table represents a significant investment and damaging one of these beautiful campground features would be like having a guest in your home, use a hammer or ax on your dining room table.
A picnic table in a Canadian Provincial park. Photo by Peggy Dent
In fact, all the provided assets in any campground are someone else’s property, provided for our convenience and enjoyment, but just because we get to use them for a short period of time doesn’t give us permission to abuse this property. The fact that the picnic tables belong to someone else should make us even more careful in the way we use them.
Simple precautions
But even if we all treated our picnic table like it was our own dining room table, it would still not be a sanitary place to eat. Outdoor amenities naturally attract insects, rodents, birds and vermin that walk on the tables with their dirty feet, leaving an unsanitary trail of droppings and bacteria.
Even if we clean the picnic table and spray it with cleaners, it’s still wood, it’s porous, and it’s just never going to be clean enough for food prep or service.
Tablecloth with clips covers a campground picnic table. Photo by Peggy Dent
So how can we use and enjoy this outdoor dining asset? I recommend covering it with a tablecloth and pinning that cloth down with clips or weights. But don’t just put a tablecloth on when you arrive and leave it in place for the duration of your stay. If we do that, insects, rodents, and birds will just walk on the tablecloth instead of the table, but they will still be tracking all kinds of unwholesome debris onto a surface where we eat.
I suggest that we fold our tablecloths in half and anchor them in place as soon as we finish a meal. The underside of the tablecloth is already contaminated by the table, so folding the top surface (where we eat) to the inside of the fold, will protect it and leave the underside of the tablecloth exposed to the camp critters.
A picnic table is a nice added feature at any campsite. We need to respect and care for this asset as though it belonged to us even if we only get to use it for a spell, and we should always endeavor to leave it (and the campsite) better than the way we found it.
See also: Basic Etiquette That Every RVer Needs To Know
Peggy Dent is an author, writer, and full-time RVer, traveling around the US and Canada. She’s traveled more than 130,000 miles in a motorhome, over the past 20 years, and is currently writing for the RV industry. You can contact her through her website at www.APenInYourHand.com
I totally get what you say about treating park amenities with care. I also feel vindicated that I always pack a tablecloth for the reasons you state. It’s a timely, important topic. Thanks for writing.
P.S. A sewer hose … really? I’d hate to see that guy’s home.
We purchase the cheap vinyl or heavy paper tablecloths from the dollars stores and use them underneath our heavier vinyl cloths. Keeps the vinyl cloths cleaner, and we just throw away the cheap one when we leave.
Blackbirrd1. Thank you for your comment. I agree it’s a good idea to use a tablecloth on all outdoor eating surfaces just to be safe. My mom was a professional cook and she really drove home the safe and sanitary food handling rules. Peggy
Yep, been doing this for decades for the same reasons!
That is the reason we always put a vinyl table cover on every table. Sad but people do not care about things that is not theirs. Just the way our world works. I always try to leave the place cleaner than when we arrived. I feel the same way about rest stop bathrooms. People leave them like they are pigs. Why would you leave anything filthy that was there for you to use and was clean when you used it. Makes you wonder how the person really lives..
Just when you think, “I’ve been camping for over 50 years, there’s nothing new to learn”, someone says, “fold your tablecloth.” Thanks for the great tip.
Thank you for reading this article and for being careful with the park’s property. Have fun camping. Peggy
I like the idea of folding the table cloth over when not using it. We are state park camp hosts and are continually amazed at what is done to the tables. Also the messy bathrooms. Do people live like that at home?! Our thanks to the majority of campers who have a clue how to be a great guest!
Cactus
Thank you for your efforts to keep your park nice and I agree about how some people live. My folks raised me on the principle of keeping things neat and clean at home, when we camped, everywhere. Then I grew up, became a police officer, and was absolutely blown away by what I saw in peoples homes. The answer to your question, “do people live like that in their homes?” unfortunately is YES some of them do. Again thank you for your comments. Peggy Dent
Good morning Peggy,
Thank you for your article on the picnic table. You made some very good points but I believe most people look at it as an all purpose bench. When it’s time to eat and you want to use the picnic table to eat on, clean it as best you can and use a tablecloth. It is not a sin to use it for other purposes while camping. I really agree that we all should leave the campground and picnic table as good as we found it or better.
How about sweeping the table first, then spraying bleach on it prior to first use?
Burnett’s Randall
Thanks for reading the article. And yes the picnic table is an incredible handy bench. I use it that was on occasion too, but I am always aware of what I put on the table, and if it’s going to leave any residue, then I use a towel or covering of some kind.
Thank you for stating what is obvious to many but certainly not all. My husband now understands the importance of the tablecloth and I will be folding it in half when not in use. Thank you!
A great reminder of “not knowing what has gone before”. Use of the plastic table cloth is a great idea. In my home, we change our table cloth monthly, but now I’ll keep a few in my camper to have when needed. (We change ours since the color starts coming off and pin holes show up.
Thank you for this story, never gave too much thought to how dirty a table could be. We usually use a table cloth and folded it up and took it with us. Wont be doing that anymore, will invest in some low dollar ones and trash them when finished. Not worth the chance of taking germs with us.
I agree with Burdette Randall – a campsite picnic table is a multipurpose workspace that can be used for many purposes. Given that squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and birds frequent the table top when it’s not occupied by humans, I see nothing wrong with using it as a pet grooming table – provided, of course, that the groomer then cleans off the table. A vinyl tablecloth is all that’s required to provide a clean dining surface, although we often don’t bother – I’m not paranoid about germs. We do always leave our campsite clean, which is often cleaner than we found it!
In a KOA brochure, the photo was of a DOG laying on the picnic table! So much for trying to educate people about campground etiquette and good sense.
I agree with Burdette Randall. A table in a campground will see bird, bat, and other animal droppings. It’s all-purpose- clean it with soap & water, leave it clean and don’t think about what was on it before you used it or bring your own table.
We only boondock and carry our own table and firepit, and we save $35 every day.
I personally hope to bring my own collapsible table and lawn chairs because I have seen not only bad sanitation, but picnic tables that were splintered and so buggy, I would not trust sitting on them. Funny thing is, I have a big family, but when we travel we sometimes bring our full size 12 passenger van and my old Honda crv….which helps…because the trunk part has a built in table….and while it’s small for 8 people, still our food can be made on it and we just sit on our chairs and put food on laps…way more sanitary and no fear of unsanitary conditions!!!
Irony too…I have a beautiful huge deck at my house but it gets filthy….and while we own an easily washable plastic picnic table and its used….still….most in our family still bring out their lawn chairs….even though our deck is filled with beautiful furniture. My family always says the same thing, those areas are not clean enough…even though we maintain it ourselves. My hubby is going to eventually close in the deck so it will be cleaner as no one wants to sit back there. So, its not just campgrounds, but can like in our case, be at home…..
We’ve noticed so often people with small dogs use the picnic table for a grooming table. This disgusts me! They think their darling little foo-foo doesn’t hurt the table. Don’t get me wrong- I am a dog lover but not on the table where I am going to eat. Table clothe or not. Picnic tables are not in RV parks for dogs to be groomed.
I ran a restaurant for 10 years and would not use a picnic table without a cover first. I carry a roll of table cover, leftover from house parties. I throw it out when we pack up. I use it to cover benches too – no wet bench soaked shorts thank you. Buy it by the roll and save money. If you want to be decorative add the nice plastic table cover over so you can keep it. I always wipe off the table covering before every meal/snack. Bleach and pinesol keep flies away. Ticks don’t like the smell of tea tree oil. Being safe where food is concerned is number one for me.
R&R
Thank you for your response. As a restaurant owner you know how important food safety is. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Peggy Dent
Some great additional ideas here – thank you for sharing!
At the Aurora RV Park in Nice, CA, we’ve solved the picnic table issue by constructing our own. Made of concrete and porcelain tile, they look great, they are impermeable, they last forever, and – most importantly – they can readily be completely cleaned!
Mike. Thank you for sharing. Your Picnic Table solution sounds like one other parks might want to model. Peggy Dent
As a former park ranger in a campground, I was always disgusted by the way some people treated the campground facilities. Carving initials, burning from grills, leaving dog crap bags on top… don’t get me started about non burnables in the fire rings. Don’t be like that.
excellent article…i always use table cloth.
keebler.
Wow. If anybody is that worried about picnic table sanitation, use a table cloth/cover. And as far as bugs, birds and rodents on your table cover, remember, you’re camping in THEIR home. For goodness sakes, what are you doing out doors if your afraid of germs and dirt anyway?
If your that big of a GERMOPHOBE, wipe it off, put on a table cloth or just stay home in your sanitary hospital house.
I am sorry to say that, I too, have seen people put a dripping sewer hose on a picnic table. It is usually not their own picnic table; it is the table on the neighboring site. I never sit at a picnic table without thinking of that. Ewwww!
In the meat industry I learned that wood cutting blocks could breath so they could dry out. I learned that plastic USDA approved meat blocks would not dry out allowing bacteria growth.
We clean the bottom side with a wisk broom to get rhe spider webs or wasp nest s out before we put our table cloth on.
I followed suit of my mother’s camping table! First the reusable tablecloth anchored down. Next are your items you keep out on the table, ie:cards, BBQ & tools, lantern, whatever! Finally at night when going in we cover it all up with a larger cloth table cloth (cover) to keep it clean from critters out at night walking on our clean table cloth!! In the morning, uncover and ready to prep & eat breakfast!! 🙂
She also taught all of us to leave it cleaner than it was when we got here!
Just when everything is sanitary and picture perfect, a bird flies overhead and ….. years ago, backpackers still drank out of streams until backpacker magazine had a photograph of a deer pissing in the stream. Do what you can.
Cement is also porous, grout used on tile tops is porous. Did you say anything to the dolt who put a septic hose in the table?
I’m decently clean but, do not sweat the small stuff. Picnicking on the ground after long hikes, far from water sources to wash up, it’s just part of the life.
I was an outdoor kid playing in creeks, exploring as far as my little legs would carry me. When the bike years came, much farther than my parents allowed. Making pots from stream clays, bugs, reptiles and amphibians, I loved creatures!
I think 99.99% of the population would never put the poo hose on a picnic table. It’s on the other side of your camper for this very reason.
Grooming Dogs on tables? Kinda rude folks! Stop.
Birds and bugs? Leaves, dirt? Tosh. Brush it off. Wipe it down. Who doesn’t do that?
As for kids, it builds strong immune systems to be out of doors, which over washing hands prevents from happening.
As a kid I got one episode of a childhood virus, tho don’t know which one. Measles or chickenpox???Dunno. That was it.
I literally never get sick.
Neither did my now grown kids.
But know this, I’ll never “unsee” a picnic table that once had a poo hose on it. 🤮☠️
A a biologist, this is one of the best articles I’ve seen written, ever. Picnic tables are disgusting and Must be treated as such. Personally, prior to putting down the table cloth, I disinfect thoroughly with a 10% bleach solution.
Picnic tables are the same as the ground in any public place…only elevated for convenience. Would you eat on the ground? If not, don’t expect more from a table merely because of the elevation. We bring our own table AND table cloths for outdoor dining and activities.
And, then, we do always have our own full kitchen in our 45ft motorcoach….but, we still don’t eat off the coach floor. 🙂 🙂 🙂
If this is really that big of problem for you all then I would suspect that you really don’t like camping that much in the first place. Wash off the table, crack a cold beer and relax. We could all use a bit more dirt in our lives and a lot less drama.